Chefs from across the UK are being urged to enter MasterChef: The Professionals 2014, with the deadline for applications closing on 4 April.

The seventh series of the BBC’s professional cooking competition will air later this year. Last year, Steven Edwards, who heads up The Camelia restaurant at South Lodge Hotel in West Sussex, was crowned the winner.​​

“Long established as one of the top professional competitions in the country, this new series is once again looking for chefs with the ambition to reach the top of the industry and the talent to cut it in the world’s best kitchens,” reads a statement from MasterChef: The Professionals.

“Professional MasterChef will continue to push contestants to prove they have the ability and passion to cook at the highest level as hopefuls battle to impress the Professional MasterChef judges, as well as some of the country’s greatest chefs, until only the very best remain.”

Entrants need to have worked for at least two years as a chef in a professional kitchen and/or have necessary NVQ qualifications.